| Set On Stun |

New on the Wii -- The failure game

First of all this is not something I came up with. The buzz on the intertubes is out there. There is a growing belief that the Wii will meet it’s demise this year. Even Nintendo is saying that they expect sales to drop this year — they still think they’ll beat the PS2 as the most successful console ever? Ay but there’s the question — most successful according to what?

If we’re looking a raw sales data then sure (how much of those sales are the console and not the games) — and beating the PS2 is no easy feat. This behemoth was still selling years into the release of the PS3, it’s still out there and there are people, believe it or not, still playing PS2 games. Need I remind you God of War 2 came out for PS2 …  and that was after the Ps3 was released. But I digress. Back to the Wii completely sucking this year.

It’s no secret that many refer to the Wii as the kiddie console. Some may call it the great equalizer bringing young, old, families, casual and hardcore gamers all into the fold of gaming. Marketing wise it’s one of the easiest consoles to market because if you’re running campaigns for something like Wii Resort or Smash Bros. you’re dealing with innocuous spots and trailers and something that resonates with a large audience.  That then translates into parents buying games not just for their kids but for themselves or for “the family.” In fact that was one of the big things you heard this last holiday season  — “We go a Wii” or “We got Rock Band for the Wii.” Yeah that’s great but here’s the thing Wii isn’t delivering beyond that point.

Think of it this way — We currently have three consoles.

• Two of them are high-end multifunctional CPUs with advanced graphic cards that also play games. One of them — plays games. A majority of those games are gimmicky in the sense that they have some feature that panders to the Wiimote.
• Two of them have evolved to a level of performance that allows us to see videogaming like we’ve never seen it before with unprecedented graphics and gameplay the likes of Uncharted 2, Heavy Rain, Mass Effect 2 and Gears of War 2. Developers relish in pushing these systems to their extreme in terms of what they can produce. One of the consoles is not a big fan of third party software, doesn’t have the capability of running the aforementioned games on its platform and  developers of these big budget games don’t even factor the Wii  in their plans for a typical multiplatform release.
• Back in the Gamecube days, the playing field was much more level because you had essentially three gaming consoles. Microsoft and Sony upped the anti in the next round (as did Nintendo with motion control) and having gone past the benchmark of the 5-year gap between consoles both Sony and Microsoft say, “We don’t need new consoles just yet,” knowing they can get a couple more years out of their machines. The Wii typically becomes a novelty shortly after it’s bought

All you Wii lovers and Wii-loving parents can raise your fists and yell about the last bullet point but that’s the truth. Anyone who owns a PS3 or 360 and a Wii will tell you — we play the Wii when friends come over or the kids use it. The rest of the time these gamers default to their primary console.

So why are Microsoft and Sony making motion controllers then? Good question. The biggest reason is to tap into that casual gamer/family market. Notice though that these are peripherals and not entirely new consoles. They know full well exactly how these device will be treated from the developer side. Sure there will be a whole slew of folks looking to make cool motion-control, fun games and figuring out how to retrofit old games to mod with the new device. But  you’re not going to see a developer like Bioware spend time making Mass Effect 3 compatible with Natal or the Arc. You just won’t. That’s why the Wii gets left out so often for the A-list titles. And since they can’t match up to the caliber of games we have seen in the last year and are bound to see this year what’s left for Wii to do? Make more of the same, which ultimately spells — S  U C  K.

Nintendo’s sinking feeling that this year sales will slump is not far off.  As the system consistently keeps getting left behind by developers or the last console you pick for your team, we end up with games that people want to play except not on the system that everyone can use.

I’ve been lucky enough to have a few conversations with some game industry watchers about Project Natal and the reactions to it range from, “it’s a gimmick” to “it will revolutionize gaming”.  However, under the surface lurks the visage of Microsoft’s un-stated strategy.

Project Natal could become the means of content creation on the Xbox 360.

It’s very clear that Microsoft is turning the Xbox 360 into a primary device for consumers. We can update our Twitter & Facebook profiles from the console, we can stream Netflix’s digital library at will, we can listen to our playlists on Last.fm and we can enter a virtual world to play classic arcade games.

The underlying theme is that the Xbox Live platform is a strong social network for gamers to consume media that we want.  However, what’s lacked in the platform has been something that’s inherent in all web and mobile based social networks, content sharing.

One of the core things that changed the web into the social web is the ability for browsers to run native applications through the browser and allow the user to participate, modify and share those applications as they interact with it.  The social participatory network that social media sites have mastered have given us all a platform to share the things we love, hate and do to a wide variety of groups.  Twitter is, for the most part, public.  Facebook is experimenting with different ways of balancing personal privacy with our desire to distribute information.

The second aspect of social media collaboration as it’s evolved has been the advent of real-time updates.  Search giant Google has integrated Twitter streams into its search results page:

Click to embigulate

With the social web combined with the real-time web, there has to be a way to consume media in written, audio or video form, there needs to be a way to share that media with another person in your network and there needs to be a way to modify that media in some form.  Traditionally, the modification of media is comments, ratings or tagging. Lastly, there needs to be a way to create new media, let it reside on a social platform where your network can consume, share and modify it.

Natal fills that gap for Xbox Live. It is a way to modify existing media, it will be able to create new media.

Once that media is created, Microsoft’s Xbox Live has already been looking for ways to spread that media to your network, they’ve been collecting data on how Xbox Live users are actually using Last.fm, Facebook and Twitter and presumably, adding a method that’s more intuitive to share your created content via the Natal update.

Another thing to consider is that Apple has dominated the Zune in usability, user penetration and more importantly, the application distribution and development potential.

With Natal, Microsoft has a unique way for developers to create motion specific applications that can be downloaded from the store, played with and the result of that media consumption and creation will need to be shared with your networks.  If I were to create a really cool picture using “Natal Paint”, I should be able to send that picture to my email, to Twitter, to Facebook.  I should be able to make that creation my background image, the ways for Natal to inspire unique user generated creations is absolutely limitless.

That distribution capability is now being tested.  While some, including my partner Shawn has called Microsoft “drunk” or “stupid” when new features come out that only go half way, I think that this is just the foundation for Xbox Live, in combination with Natal, to explode in the ability to create content and then distribute it.

If I were to be able to link my YouTube account to Xbox Live, I could record my motions in video, apply some paint techniques to add some style, upload it to YouTube and Facebook, promote it with Twitter, then Microsoft would have been successful in creating a fully functional social network out of the browser, away from the computer and in front of all the media we belong to.

The integration of Xbox Live into the Zune is just one more way to spread that content. If I’m right, I think that all of the seemingly random and strange things Microsoft has been doing with Xbox Live lately has been a carefully coordinated test-bed to truly launch Natal as a content creation mechanism supported by a network that will share it with the browser based web.

Play a game -- save real lives

http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&link=BeAHero

This has to be a first and if not, it’s the first game company to openly take social action in the wake of a global disaster. Bungie has decided to do their part to help out in the relief efforts for Haiti by asking gamers to play Halo 3 or or ODST online from Wednesday 1/20/10 through Thursday 1/21/10 while wearing a specially designed heart emblem on their Spartan uniform (that’s how they’ll track you). For every 1000 players they’ll donate $100. The cap will be $77,000. Additionally in the Bungie store you can buy sspecially designed shirts and other merchandise which will also be contributed to the fundraising through the month of February.

How much easier can they make this? — Play a videogame and raise some money.

Oh and for all those people who always complain about videogames being a bad thing — Suck it!

Thank you Bungie!

I can control ... everything

2010 — The year of Motion — Control?

Nothing starts a new year of videogaming like rumors, speculation and possibilities of what might be exciting if it actually happens.  And if the companies behind these supposed stories actually deliver then strap in and get ready for a crazy new ride into the new decade of gaming. Going against the grain of launching entirely new systems what we see this year are new things you can add to your existing system or get an improved version of what you already own.

PS3 I see you!

The Big News – 3D

Gaming: Out of CES today the big announcement was Sony will allow you to play 3D games. Yeah you heard that right. They’re going to fix up the PS3 so that gamers can get the closest thing we have to a holodeck so far. Oh there is a catch — you need a 3d TV. Who makes those you ask? Wanna guess? Sony Bravias will come with 3D glasses and are slated to launch this summer.

Sony’s Motion Control and Blu Ray tweaks. Sony motion what? Well since the big E3 announcement last year they’ve been mum and considering they’re looking to one up Microsoft by offering 3D gaming  it’s a good guess this idea has been tabled. As for the Blu Ray tweaks well they’re definitely going to beef up the player to expand its disc storage capabilities.

Will we see more of this at E3? The 3D stuff ? We certainly hope so. Who needs to bring two Beatles out on stage when you have 3D games.

Remote? Man forget that

Natal — remember Natal? -The “we don’t need no stinking remotes” peripheral that wowed everybody at E3 ‘09 until we wanted to find out when it would be ready or how much it costs. Well the latest is that Microsoft plans to launch this device … sometime this year. We can only guess how they’ll market this but you can bet it will involve attractive families playing games together. As to how it will work with the existing library. Once again — we’ll have to wait for all the details.

Will we see more of this at E3? Yes but don’t expect any answers about the price point.  While all the talk has been about making the existing systems better rather than making a while new system, a high-price peripheral may just go the way of the power glove

Wave your DS in the air like you just don't care

DS Motion Sensors: Yeah right. No really. Not that the DS needs to make more money for the company but the latest innovation to grace the Ipod of video game consoles is apparently motion sensors. Counting on the fact that people will drop more cash to buy yet another version of the DS word from the folks over at HQ is that there will be a new Zelda, improved graphics and some sort of technology to somehow read players’ movements.  As to when this will happen? Suffice it to say we’ll see Natal before we see this.

Will we see more of this at E3? Maybe. July is a long way from now so who knows what to expect. The only thing we can expect is that whatever it is, it will be a big hit for Nintendo’s golden child.

One week into the new year and we’re already hearing about fantastical things like controller free gaming and gaming with 3D glasses on? It’s going to be quite a year.

What did you think only master chief had a cool helmet?

How do you reinvigorate a a franchise that  had already pushed the bar so high it crumbled under the weight of things like Mountain Dew Game Fuel and UNSC Messenger bags? Go back to the drawing board, create another storyline and remove the key figure of the franchise. For your consideration enter Halo 3:ODST and the soon to be yet amazingly cryptic Halo Reach.  So in going down the checklist here’s what the folks at Bungie were looking at:

• A 2 year gap since the last game — granted a big success but many complained it paled to Halo 2. Additionally the accompanying marketing blitz is the stuff of legend in terms of how far Microsoft went to push Halo 3 -- overkill? Perhaps
• In between Microsoft made a Halo RTS with Ensemble studios and while it proved a good step bridging that RTS for consoles gap, it was no behemoth of success.
• The folks over at Infinity Ward and Epic took  multiplayer to new levels with a reward system, deeper maps, and in terms of  Gears of War 2, you got the superb team based Horde Mode which offered up a whole new way to bring the fight with 4 of your online buddies.

So in coming back to the FPS world of Halo and already knowing they had essentially ended the main story of Master Chief how would they create a spin off that didn’t seem like a spinoff? Here’s how…

1. Tell an “in between story.” ODST takes place between Halo 2 and 3. (GTAIV is attempting that as well except in their case it all happens within the core story)
2. Create a Memento style story that flashed back and forth showing different perspectives of the same event that would eventually all come to a focal point.
3. While using a lot of the staples of this universe and gameplay introduce some different elements while borrowing from other successful shooters (not that they would admit it) that have come out since the last Halo.

For those about to frag, I salute you.

Did it work?

Completely — Presenting exhibits A through C:

A.  A creepy, cryptic, very realistic ad campaign that made these ODST folks seem like real soldiers replete with a very Full Metal Jacket-esque imagery

B. A massive pre-sell blitz that served up tons of previews and clips along with  a special DLC for pre-orders — this seems to be the norm now with a lot of these major title releases

C.  An incentive to hang on to the game because it will not only allow you to enjoy future DLC but this is going to be your ticket when they launch the beta test for Halo:Reach.

For those of you who remember Crackdown, that was the same push except that time the beta was for Halo 3. It’s an ingenious method to sell two games at once that is very effective if the second game doesn’t even exist but is one that has a guaranteed audience. Not every publisher can employ this tactic but for those who do it works 10 times over. Add to that the release of ODST came with a second disc that featured all of the Halo 3 maps offered before. All of them. So rather than go the Game of the Year route or repackage trick like some publishers have done where they include previous DLC, in this scenario you get it as a bonus with your new game and hopefully it gets you back to playing your old game that you hopefully have hung on to.

Marketing Schmarketing — How’s the game?

Halo 3: ODST is an outstanding title from the folks at Bungie. Line up some notable and talented sci-fi voices  (Adam Baldwin, Tricia Helfer, Nathan Fillan) throw in a doozy of a multiplayer mode that’s hard to stop playing, and create a storyline that’s moody, intense and has multiple storyline along the course of one game and you have something old that’s new again. Since it’s apparent that Bungie has not decided to step off the Halo train just yet to make some new titles, it’s great to see that they instead have given us an upgrade to first class.